{"id":48987,"date":"2018-09-25T12:38:00","date_gmt":"2018-09-25T17:38:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/?p=48987"},"modified":"2024-10-25T09:24:20","modified_gmt":"2024-10-25T14:24:20","slug":"texas-gop-looks-to-ride-out-blue-wave-with-help-from-straight-ticket-voters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/2018\/09\/25\/texas-gop-looks-to-ride-out-blue-wave-with-help-from-straight-ticket-voters\/","title":{"rendered":"Texas GOP looks to ride out \u2018blue wave,\u2019 with help from straight-ticket voters"},"content":{"rendered":"

Houston Chronicle: Texas GOP looks to ride out ‘blue wave,’ with help from straight-ticket voters<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

Andrea Zelinski<\/a><\/p>\n

Sep. 25, 2018<\/p>\n

AUSTIN \u2014 Texas Republicans scoff at Democratic predictions of a blue wave and brag that GOP dominance in state politics isn\u2019t subject to anti-Trump sentiment fueling elections across the country this year.<\/p>\n

One reason the GOP is so comfy: Texas is one of just eight states still offering \u201cstraight-ticket\u201d voting, a shortcut that allows voters to click one box at the top of the ballot and automatically register votes for a single party\u2019s candidates in every race \u2014 as many as 100 offices in some counties. It\u2019s a practice that\u2019s going out of style across the U.S., but one proven to help Texas Republicans sweep statewide elections over the past two decades.<\/p>\n

Nearly two-thirds of the voters in the state\u2019s most populous counties automatically voted the full Democrat or Republican ticket in the last two major elections, according to the Center for Public Political Studies at Austin Community College.<\/p>\n

Lawmakers in 2017 voted to phase out straight-ticket voting after November elections, so it won\u2019t be a factor in 2020. In the meantime, political analysts say the practice will likely create a safety net this year to help GOP statewide candidates weather a surge of momentum from a re-energized Democratic Party.<\/p>\n

More Information<\/h4>\n

Percentage of Straight-ticket voting in Texas General Elections Since 1998, courtesy of Austin Community College Center for Public Political Studies<\/p>\n

Year, Straight-ticket Voting as a Percentage of Vote Cast for Highest Office on Ballot, Republican Percentage of Straight-ticket Vote, Democratic Percentage of Straight-ticket Vote<\/p>\n

1998, 47.60%, 52.68%, 46.61%<\/p>\n

2000, 49.00%, 51.00%, 49.00%<\/p>\n

2002, 49.60%, 52.00%, 48.00%<\/p>\n

2004, 55.55%, 57.00%, 43.00%<\/p>\n

2006, 45.04%, 51.33%, 47.44%<\/p>\n

2008, 57.59%, 50.28%, 48.99%<\/p>\n

2010, 59.17%, 58.12%, 41.16%<\/p>\n

2012, 64.16%, 53.74%, 45.24%<\/p>\n

2014, 61.05%, 58.26%, 40.69%<\/p>\n

2016, 64.04%, 49.74%, 48.38%<\/p>\n

On the other hand, nearly half of the straight-ticket voters in 2016 cast ballots for Democrats, an 8 percent increase over the gubernatorial race in two years before. If that growth continues into the midterm election, this could be the year straight ticket voting helps Democrats in contentious races in the House of Representatives, including three in the Houston area and two in San Antonio.<\/p>\n

Straight-ticket voters stick to their brand much like some people are loyal to one make of a car, said Peck Young, director of Center for Public Policy and Political Studies who has studied decades of voting trends. That loyalty is one of the reasons Republicans dominate Texas politics and consistently sweep the top of the ticket, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat ain\u2019t a rational deal, that\u2019s an emotional vote,\u201d said Young.<\/p>\n

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz is counting on that straight-ticket vote in his red-hot race against Beto O\u2019Rourke for U.S. Senate, Young said. Elections are a game of numbers, and it\u2019s the volume of the straight-ticket vote that has Cruz focused on energizing his Republican base to vote the party line instead of reaching for swing voters.<\/p>\n

\u201cCruz isn\u2019t up there trying to persuade soft, non-straight ticket voters to vote for him. Cruz is solidifying the Republican base. Everything is said to maximize the Republican straight-ticket vote,\u201d Young said.<\/p>\n

A buoy for down-ballot Republicans?<\/p>\n

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is one candidate that a straight-ticket ballot could help. Paxton was indicted in 2015 on three felony counts of securities fraud<\/a>, a case that won\u2019t be resolved before the November election. He says he is innocent.<\/p>\n

The looming charges have fueled his Democrat opponent\u2019s campaign. Paxton is also being blasted by Democrats up and down the ballot for leading a legal challenge to the Affordable Care Act that would strike down the law\u2019s protections for people with pre-existing conditions that can drive up premiums or result in denials of coverage.<\/p>\n

A poll over the summer<\/a> showed Paxton as the most vulnerable of the state\u2019s top-ranking Republicans running for reelection, virtually tied with Justin Nelson, a little-known Democrat and Austin attorney who is running against him. Over a quarter of registered voters were undecided in that June poll from the University of Texas and the Texas Tribune, which is the most recent public survey of the race.<\/p>\n

Nelson, a first-time candidate, reminds voters every chance he gets that the state\u2019s top law enforcement officer is under indictment. He said his campaign\u2019s internal polling shows that people are less likely to vote for Paxton after they hear about his personal legal troubles.<\/p>\n

Paxton\u2019s campaign did not return requests for comment, although his spokesman has said the Republican\u2019s internal polls consistently show he has a 10-point lead.<\/p>\n

\u201cPaxton\u2019s entire strategy is to pretend to be the generic Republican,\u201d said Nelson. \u201cHe wants people to forget about this race, and frankly, he wants stories that talk about him without mentioning the indictment or the corruption or the fraud.\u201d<\/p>\n

The charges stem from allegations Paxton convinced colleagues to buy stock in a company without disclosing he would make a profit from their investments.<\/p>\n

Paxton says he is the victim of a political witch hunt from members of his own party.<\/p>\n

A federal judge threw out a similar set of civil charges <\/a>against Paxton, although the criminal charges loom. Procedural moves have turned into years of delays of his criminal trial.<\/p>\n

Paxton remains popular among conservative Republicans for fighting the Obama administration and vestiges of the former president\u2019s legacy, such as the Affordable Care Act.<\/p>\n

\u201cStraight-ticket this year is probably going to save most statewide Republicans who would otherwise face a more hostile electorate,\u201d said Brandon Rottinghaus, a professor at the University of Houston and political analyst. The straight-ticket vote fueled by conservatives gives Republicans in top statewide positions a built-in wall of support, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is why most Republicans are not shying away from conservative policy positions – priming Republicans to turn out and vote straight ticket cements an organic advantage in midterms,\u201d said Rottinghaus.<\/p>\n

Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller could also benefit from the straight ticket vote. He has been criticized for taxpayer-funded trips<\/a> he has taken, who he\u2019s hired for jobs and board positions, and how he\u2019s divvied out bonuses<\/a>. He is also known for a series of social media controversies, ranging from sharing a message calling then-presidental candidate Hillary Clinton a vulgar word<\/a> to posting articles that turned out to be fake<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Some fellow Republicans are unhappy with Miller, who drew two opponents in the Republican primary.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Houston Chronicle: Texas GOP looks to ride out ‘blue wave,’ with help from straight-ticket voters Andrea Zelinski Sep. 25, 2018 AUSTIN \u2014 Texas Republicans scoff at Democratic predictions of a blue wave and brag that … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3930,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,12],"tags":[600,3277],"class_list":["post-48987","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-acc-in-the-news","category-business-and-community","tag-election","tag-houston-chronicle"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48987","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3930"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48987"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48987\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48987"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48987"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48987"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}